Halo Over the Devil's Head
by LittleKnux2008
Summary: When Chris Jericho saves Stephanie from the 3 Minute Warning, she begins to realize her true feelings for him...Too bad he's already moved on. [Y2JSteph]
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the story itself.  If you want to post it on your website, feel free to; just tell me the site address!

**Rating: **PG: 13 to be safe!

**Characters: **Eric Bischoff, Three Minute Warning, Stephanie McMahon, Chris Jericho

**Pairing: **Stephanie/Jericho

**Timeline: **No time in general, just a long time after Stephanie was forced to quit.

**Author's Note: **Gosh darned muses.  I keep all of my story ideas in a binder, and at the moment I have about 20, so here's one of them.  Forgive me if the story is a little off; I've never written about this pairing before.  I hope you guys enjoy, and please review!

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**Halo Over the Devil's Head**

**Chapter 1**

Eric Bischoff stood in the RAW ring, a smirk on his face.  He brushed a hand over his suit, and waited until the negative cries of the audience had silenced.  The black-haired man raised the microphone to his lips and spoke.  "I'm here tonight, in Atlanta, Georgia, to make a public apology to Stephanie McMahon," he announced.  There was a stirring in the crowd.  Without waiting for the fans to try and make sense of his statement, he continued, "So, Stephanie, if you would…" he trailed off, and seconds later a burst of music blared through the arena.  The navy curtains near the entrance fluttered, and Stephanie McMahon emerged.

            As she walked down the steel ramp with confidence, everyone turned their eyes to her, surveying her.  Gone were the bangs over her forehead, as well as the business attire.  Her hair was as long as it had always been, but now it was highlighted with a few well-placed blond streaks.  Instead of her usually conservative clothes, she was wearing a skimpy, spaghetti-strapped black dress that ended mid-thigh and clung to her figure, accentuating her curves.  She carried herself with ease, even in the four inch platform heels.  The brunette stepped onto the apron, and ducked underneath the second rope to get into the ring.  Someone from the outside of the ring handed her a microphone just as Eric spoke.

            "You're looking mighty fine today, Stephanie, if I do say so myself," he told her.

            Stephanie stared at him, her expression unchanging.  "Thanks, Eric," she said flatly, her tone slightly sarcastic.

            Bischoff lifted the microphone closer to his mouth.  "I invited you here to my show to apologize to you, Stephanie," he said once more.  "I'm sorry that you were fired—excuse me, I forgot.  I'm sorry that you quit."  Stephanie narrowed her eyes, still holding the microphone at her side.  "You see, it's kind of my fault that Vince McMahon set his eyes on you and started that chain of events."

            "Oh, really?" Stephanie replied, arching one eyebrow.

            "Yes," Bischoff turned to the audience.  "You see, when you took the General Manager space on the other show, you became in competition with my show.  Sure, after a while all of the trading and jumping from show to show stopped, but in Mr. McMahon's eyes, we were still competing for ratings.  And, well, when he found out that your show's ratings were more than a point behind RAW, he turned his sights to you."

            Stephanie stepped closer to him, resisting the urge to hit him across the face with the microphone, and kept calm.  She didn't speak into the mike, and simply listened as Bischoff continued.  "You see, Stephanie, I feel bad.  My managing skills are so great, and obviously so much better than yours.  I just feel bad that I put you out of your job," he turned to face her again.  "But I also think it's a good thing that you are no longer a GM, because, well, in my opinion…  You've been in the WWE _three minutes too long._"

            The brunette took a step back and looked around.  She hadn't missed the key word for the Three Minute Warning.  After seeing that no one was coming, she glared at Bischoff.  Three Minute Warning had broken up months ago, seemingly disappearing off of the face of RAW.  He was just bluffing.  "This is a load of bullshit," Stephanie said into the microphone.  "I'm out of here," she threw it down, and turned to leave.

            She was met with a hellacious clothesline by Rosey.  Eric Bischoff flashed a grin at Rosey as Jamal and Rico slid into the ring, Jamal picking Stephanie up by the hair.  Effortlessly, he held her over his head, and then slammed her onto the mat.  Rico lifted her to her feet and shoved her toward the turnbuckle.  The eccentric man then ran at her, leaping to the third rope and giving her a harsh kick to the face and downing her.

            Stephanie felt the pain rushing through her body as she laid face-up on the mat a few feet from the turnbuckle.  She was too dazed to realize that Rosey was climbing the turnbuckle.  She was a sitting duck.

            Rosey crouched on the top turnbuckle, aiming to give Stephanie a body splash.  Right before he jumped, however, someone shoved him, sending him flying off of the turnbuckle to the left, and into Jamal.  Rico whirled around, only to see that their new opponent had climbed the turnbuckle.  He had no time to dodge the dropkick aimed at him.

            Stephanie felt the ring shaking beneath her as her unseen savoir decimated Three Minute Warning.  Weakly, she tried to lift her head, but a dizzying sensation caught a hold of her, and she immediately put her head back down. The brunette rolled over on her stomach, inhaling sharply at the pain the movement was met with.  Slowly, she grasped the bottom rope and pulled herself up, relying entirely on the ropes for support. When she had gotten to the second rope, she felt a presence beside her.  Immediately, she looked to her right, and looked into the clear blue eyes of her savoir:

            Chris Jericho.

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**Author's Note: **I hope you guys like!  Please review!  Oh, and I can't update anything until the 13th or 12th (I'm going camping), just so you know!


	2. Chapter 2

**Halo Over the Devil's Head**

**Chapter 2**

Stephanie McMahon rubbed the back of her neck quietly as she thought. The medic had long since left the room, leaving her to sit on the bed undisturbed. She sighed heavily, silently thanking medical science for painkillers. Her body felt undeniably sore, but the gut-wrenching pain was gone for the moment. The brunette's thoughts turned to what had happened barely a half hour ago.

_'What the hell was I expecting from Eric Bischoff, anyway?' _she asked herself, _'A **real **apology? That man can't stand me on his life!' _Stephanie let out a long breath, closing her eyes slowly. _'Three Minute Warning. I knew it was some sort of set-up, but Three Minute Warning? From all I know, Rico was shipped to Smackdown—and became a good guy—and Rosey became the Hurricane's trainee. Jamal—well… I haven't heard a thing about him in ages… He seemed to just drop out of sight.'_

Stephanie gradually lay down on the mattress, continuing to think about Three Minute Warning's sudden reformation. Sighing, she pressed a hand to her forehead. _'Who am I kidding? That doesn't surprise me that much—nothing can when you've been in this business for so long. I'm just trying to avoid thinking about Chris.'_

Chris Jericho. Stephanie ran her fingers through her tangled hair. The last that she had seen of him in the flesh seemed like years ago. They had been business partners in order to get Triple H back. _'A whole great thing **that **turned out to be,' _Stephanie thought sarcastically, and sighed heavily, remembering the match that had eventually been made—Triple H versus Chris Jericho versus Stephanie McMahon for the Undisputed World Championship, which, of course, had appeared to be a handicapped match against Triple H.

_FLASHBACK_

_Stephanie let out a long breath, her eyes closing softly as she tried to prepare herself for the match against her ex-husband. When she opened her eyes, Chris Jericho was next to her, ridiculous goatee and all. He grinned at her, that winning grin that made her heart melt. He seemed so innocent, considering what had happened in the last few weeks. When she approached him with the offer to work together, he had known that she was using him to get revenge on Hunter—and he was using her to get the title. It turned into some sort of unspoken deal between them, each knowing what the other was out to get._

_The brunette looked at the monitor as the match before theirs slowly came to a climaxing end. It had started so simple… She, out for revenge on the bastard who ruined her life, he, willing to do anything to get the Undisputed Championship. The forged partnership worked well for both of them, until something suddenly changed between them._

_She felt dirty every time she thought of how to say it, but there was no other way—she had started sleeping with Chris Jericho, and nearly everyone suspected. If she thought hard about her reason, it was redundant—to piss off Hunter. Trying to figure out what his reason was, she came to an easy solution—he just wanted the sex. But lately, something had changed… He had started taking her out to dinners, asking in that casual tone of his that made it sound like nothing. She always accepted, and found herself becoming entranced by his personality._

_Stephanie shook her head, determined. She was **not **falling in love with Chris Jericho._

_FLASHBACK_

"And I didn't," she said aloud, and then winced. The lie seemed obvious, but she didn't want to accept the fact that Chris Jericho had been plaguing her thoughts ever since she'd met him—including during her marriage. She felt dirty and ashamed to admit it, but when he had supposedly tormented her with kisses during his feud with Triple H – she hadn't minded at all, especially with a husband so ignoring of her as Hunter. _'Everything he's done with me has had something to do with getting Hunter his dues, or getting the title,' _Stephanie thought, and then nibbled on the bottom of her lip. _'He's always had a solid reason for doing something like this…so why did he come out there tonight? He is—or was, until today—on Eric Bischoff's good side, any relation between Hunter and I is over… What's going on?' _she wondered desperately.

Ever since any contact between the Smackdown and RAW roster had ended, she had fought tooth and nail to get Chris Jericho out of her mind. After she was forced to leave her spot on Smackdown, she had retreated to her home, living a quiet life. She tried to date around, but none of the dates ever led to anything, and she knew why—Chris Jericho.

_'Why did I come back here when Eric invited me?' _she wondered once more. _'I knew I would see everyone on the RAW roster, and I was so close to getting Chris off of my mind! So close!'_

Stephanie slowly sat up, exhaling slowly. So many questions and memories plagued her mind. She needed answers—answers that Chris Jericho had. The brunette rubbed her forehead with one hand. There was a part of her that was stringently against seeing him again, but there was another part that was ready to leap with happiness at just the thought.

Ignoring her jumble of emotions, Stephanie stood, signed the consent form next to her on the table, and then walked out of the room. Her joints were sore, and she walked gingerly. Within ten minutes, she was standing outside of Chris's dressing room, feeling suddenly nervous. What if he didn't want to see her? What if—

Stephanie raised her arm and knocked, pushing away the varying degree of 'what if' in her mind. After a moment, the door opened, and Chris stepped out, still in his wrestling tights, his eyes unemotional. He looked down at her, his arm still on the door, waiting for her to say something. "We need to talk," she told him, her voice definite, but tentative at the same time. Chris didn't say a word, but silently nodded, stepping to the side. Stephanie took a deep breath, and walked in, careful to have no contact between them. The door clicked behind her.

**Author's Note: **Hope you liked! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Halo Over the Devil's Head**

**Chapter 3**

Entering Chris Jericho's locker room, Stephanie McMahon tried desperately to calm herself. She let out a long breath, turning to Chris. Despite all of her attempts to stop the nerves buzzing in the pit of her stomach, they were still there. The brunette inhaled deeply, taking a moment to just look at Chris. He looked handsome, still—more, if possible. The goatee was gone—thank God. His hair had been cut, brushing his collarbone. Staring at the golden lengths, Stephanie had to control the urge to run her fingers through his hair once more. Her eyes drifted away from his hair, past his soulful eyes, bypassed his lips, his chin, his chest, his abs, the adorable love handles, his legs... A flush filled her cheeks as she looked up back at his eyes, realizing that he had been watching her all the while.

"Like what you see, Princess?" he asked.

Stephanie struggled to keep her emotions in check. It had been that same arrogant, cocky smirk that had gotten her attention in the first place. She determinedly tried to focus her thoughts away from her attraction toward him. _'No! There is **no **attraction! He's out of my life, and it's going to stay that way!' _her mind screamed. Her body and heart were so disjointed from her mind at this point; Stephanie was beginning to think that walking away from Chris Jericho was going to be impossible.

"I came here to talk about tonight..." Stephanie hesitated.

Chris raised his eyebrows, and then paused. "I think we both know why I did that, Stephanie," he told her seriously.

Stephanie bit her lip, shifting. "Well, I didn't get the memo."

Jericho turned around, grabbing a shirt out of his duffel bag, the noises masking his voice for a second. "For old time's sake," he answered, pulling the shirt on over his head. Stephanie had only a second to swallow the disappointment in her face. And what did she have to be disappointed in? His answer was perfectly logical...

He studied her face as he turned around. She smiled weakly, hoping the falseness in it did not show. His expression didn't change whatsoever. "What did you come here for, really?" he asked a second later, his face placid.

"I told you," she replied, "To see why you came out to help me."

"That's not it."

"Yes it is!" Stephanie insisted steadfastly.

Chris raised a single eyebrow that would put the Rock to shame. "Then why are you so insistent?" Stephanie froze, her mouth still partially open. "You didn't come here just to ask me that, Princess, and you know it," he stared straight at her, not giving her the slightest chance to back down.

"Chris, stop saying that, jeez," Stephanie said, running a hand over her hair. "I didn't know what you were going to say, I'm not psychic or anything." He folded his arms across his chest in reply. Silence settled over them for a few long moments. "What do you mean, anyway?" Stephanie asked. "Why would I be here otherwise?"

"You tell me."

"Chris!"

"What?" he offered no explanation of what he was talking about, and Stephanie was genuinely confused. Her confusion, however, was quickly turning into frustration.

"What are you talking about?" she said, for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes. "I came here because I wanted to know why you saved me, not that I'm not grateful, I really am."

"And I told you that it was for old time's sake."

"Yes."

"So why didn't you just leave?"

"Because you stopped me!"

"You could've left."

Stephanie threw her hands up in anger. What the hell was he talking about? "Jericho, you're so frustrating!" she told him, and he didn't budge nor flinch. She rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth. In the back of her mind, she was constantly going over his words. Over, and over, and over... _'Why did I come here? I figured he was probably being nice and all, and that that would be his reason. And I was partly right, and that makes him right. So why **did **I come here?' _Looking into Chris's eyes, she suddenly knew.

She needed answers.

...and not just to why he had saved her, like she had thought before. There were so many questions... So many that only Chris could answer, and more that only she herself could. She needed answers to the past.

"Chris..." she trailed off, frowning, trying to figure out how to put her thoughts into words. "I came back because... I..." she sighed. "We need to talk...about us." Stephanie froze as Chris's expression changed. She couldn't identify the look in his eyes. Guilt, perhaps? Whatever it was, she wasn't sure she liked it.

Chris set a hand gently on her shoulder. "Steph... There isn't any 'us'. There can _never _be an us."

Stephanie furrowed her brow. "What do you mean, Chris? I wasn't here to start a relationship, if that's what you mean."

"You came to see what I felt about what we did in the past, didn't you?"

Stephanie nodded numbly, not liking the way he said 'past'.

"I'm telling you that it doesn't matter anymore."

"What do you mean?" she asked defensively.

"You and I both know that if I said it meant something to me, we'd try to start a relationship," his blue eyes were now a steely gray. "That isn't going to happen. For your sake, just forget that we ever slept together."

Stephanie felt a hollow pit rising in her stomach, and at the present moment couldn't begin to describe the dread she was feeling at his words. Why would she hate this? She wasn't in love with Chris! She didn't even like him!

The protest against her own feelings was worthless.

"Why?" she asked weakly.

Chris looked at her, his expression lost as if he didn't know how to say the words he was about to. Finally, he shook his head, and then looked her straight in the eye, saying firmly the words that would shape her life from then on. "I'm engaged to Trish Stratus."

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**Author's Note: **Mwahahahahaha! Evil little twist there, or at least, I think. Anyway, sorry if the chapter was kind of confusing. Thanks to lucyzigg, stratusskittles316, huntersgirl, Y2J Chris Jericho, Twistd Heartzand DCFanatic4life for the reviews! It really means a lot to know that I'm doing at least okay on the story! :) Haven't quite written that many stories about Stephanie, so I hope her character is believeable! Anyway, please continue to review, and I hope you enjoy!

--LK08


	4. Chapter 4

**Halo Over the Devil's Head**

**Chapter 4**

"Wh-What?" Stephanie stuttered. Her mouth hung open, but she didn't close it. Her entire body was shaking, her body suddenly cold. "Y-You..." she took a step back, unable to speak anymore. It had been a stupid idea to come here. And what had she expected? She needed time to think.

And time to cry.

"Stephanie, I'm sorry, but—" Chris spoke calmly, as if he was talking to a child. She took another step back, her eyes wide and blinking furiously to quell the tears forming in her eyes.

"No, don't be sorry," she told him, her voice higher and louder than it needed to be. "You shouldn't be... Congratulations," she whispered, on the verge of tears once more, her voice cracking.

Chris walked forward, putting his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "Listen to me. You came back to start something out of nothing." Stephanie sniffled and jerked away, but his grip was strong. "We had a _physical _relationship, and that's all it was. You wanted revenge on Hunter; I wasn't going to say no to sex." Even although she had told herself nearly those same words, they cut her deeply. "I'm not going to lie and say that once or twice I felt something, but once you got fired in that match, anything between us—physical and emotional—ended."

Stephanie jerked backwards, and this time felt his hands leave her shoulders. She couldn't be here anymore; staring into those now-uncaring eyes and listening to the words she never wanted to hear spew from his mouth. Chris just continued to stare at her, saying nothing. Stephanie turned on her heel, jerking the door open and running from his locker room into the hallway. As the door slammed behind her, she tried desperately to calm herself. If someone saw how distressed she was, the rumors would start flying...and that was one thing she definitely couldn't afford.

She inhaled deeply, focusing her mind away from the words that Chris said. It was a stupid idea to try, but she did anyway, walking quickly. Her car seemed miles away now. Stephanie continued walking, somewhere in the back of her mind cursing her outfit, her movement hampered by the heels strapped to her feet.

"Oh my God! Stephanie!" Stephanie looked up at the voice, and saw the one person she did not want to see again in her life: Trish Stratus. She forced her mouth to stay in a straight line, and tried not to break down. Trish rushed forward, hugging Stephanie, who didn't return the hug. The blonde was nice enough now, and under any other condition, Stephanie probably would've hugged her back. Still, engagement aside, Stephanie had never trusted Trish and never would. "Are you okay? I saw what happened to you out there!" Trish exclaimed. "But Chris saved you!" she added, barely giving Stephanie time to respond, "Isn't he great?" she gushed, "We're getting enga—hey, are you okay?" she stopped mid-sentence, seeing the look that crossed Stephanie's face.

"I'm not feeling so well," Stephanie whispered. "Call me and we can catch up later," she turned and walked off quickly. The fact that Trish didn't have her phone number was all the better for her. The brunette let her feet carry her down the hallways quickly, away from Chris, and away from Trish.

Her speed increased as she entered the parking lot. Stephanie dashed across the lanes as best she could. She felt the air pull her tears from her eyes and down her face as she opened the door to her car, sliding in quickly. With a shaking hand, she closed the door.

Surrounded by the comforting familiarity of the car, she let her head fall into her hands, and finally released the tears. There was no denying it any longer. She was in love with Chris Jericho, and he was as far out of love with her as it could get.

Trish Stratus had the one thing that Stephanie wanted in the world.

And it didn't look like she was giving him up anytime soon.

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**Author's Note: **Okay, so a kind of lame, cheap chapter, but there's going to be a better one next, I promise! Well...I hope. There is upcoming evilness in the next chapter, or the one after that! Don't say I didn't warn you! Anyway, thanks to _Y2J Chris Jericho, Tempestia, StephanieIrvine04, huntersgirl, kandiland, _and _DCFanatic04. _Well, can't think of anything else to say, so I'm out! Please review! 

-Liz

Eeee! Sorry I forgot, here's thanks to everyone else who reviewed the first and second chapter:

_Erin_

_Twistd Heartz_

_stratusskittles316_

_lucyzigg_

And all the others that I already mentioned! Thank you all so much!


	5. Chapter 5

**Halo Over the Devil's Head**

**Chapter 5**

Stephanie McMahon.

Trish Stratus mulled the name over in her mind as she made her way to the locker room that she and Chris Jericho now shared. The woman had been on her mind ever since earlier that night when her soon-to-be fiancé saved Stephanie. Trish scowled inwardly. _'Why did Chris bother to go out there and save that dirty whore?' _Oh, sure, she had played nice to Stephanie, but how she longed to gouge the other woman's eyes out. Just when Trish had Chris wrapped around her finger, **she **showed up. Trish knew that Stephanie and Chris had had a thing in the past, but the thing that bothered her was that no one _really _knew what went on. Only Chris and Stephanie seemed to, and asking Chris would risk the losing façade that she had built for him.

The blonde Diva put a happy, cheery smile on her face as she entered the locker room, and immediately zeroed in on Chris, lounging on one of the benches. "Hey Chris," she greeted, sitting down in his lap and surprising him briefly.

"Oh, hey," Chris greeted, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Oh, hey?" Trish teased, tapping him on the nose. "I feel loved." He rolled his eyes, placing a gentle kiss to her neck.

"Better?" he asked, laughing.

"Hmm... I don't know..." she pretended to consider, and then laughed as well, leaning into him. "So what has my darling fiancé been up to?" she asked him casually.

"Nothing, really, just getting ready to go out there. Stephanie came by," he added as an afterthought, not quite sure why he did.

"Oh?" Trish replied, forcing the scowl to remain hidden off of her face.

"Yeah, she just wanted to thank me for earlier," he replied, and then winced, realizing how that sounded. "I don't mean it like that... She just said thanks and left."

The lie was obvious, but Trish chose not to acknowledge it. "Don't worry about it, Chris," she told him, smiling, "I believe you." They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Trish spoke up. "Chris... I know you wanted to take things slow...but... I was hoping we could get engaged, _for real_."

"I suppose I could do that," Chris said with a grin. Trish turned around in his lap.

"Really?!"

He smiled in that charming way of his. "Really really."

Trish squealed and flung her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He returned the gesture with a simple squeeze. Over his shoulder, Trish smiled menacingly. Stephanie or not, Chris was still wrapped around her finger. And if Stephanie thought that she could walk in and steal Trish's man, she had another thing coming.

As far as Trish was concerned, Stephanie would never have any contact with Chris Jericho again.

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**Author's Note: **Okay, okay, really short update, but it's an update! I hit a wall after that, so... Anyways, I'll probably try and update again in a week or so. (With a longer update!) I hope you guys like! Please review!

**Thanks to: **sheshe, jerichosbabe, huntersgirl, kandiland, Y2J Chris Jericho, lucyzigg, DCFanatic4life


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **I'm baaaaaaaaack! :) Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I had some fun writing it. Thanks to Ani, nascar girl, StephanieIrvine04, DCFanatic4Life, Judy Greenleaf, Y2J Chris Jericho, huntersgirl, lucyzigg, kandiland, and des1 for the reviews! Please keep 'em coming!

* * *

**Halo Over the Devil's Head**

**Chapter 6**

Stephanie McMahon smiled to herself as she walked into the RAW arena for the second time in what seemed like years. Thinking about RAW and general-and consequently last week-made her want to crawl underneath a rock, but she wouldn't do it. She was Stephanie McMahon, damn it! She would stand tall against the world, whether it was kind to her or not.

Well, okay, so that was a little bit of embellishment, but she was here, wasn't she?

'_Just don't think about him, or her,' _she thought to herself, _'and you'll be fine. Just carry out the plan for tonight. Remember what Bischoff did to you last week. Focus on that.' _Smiling at the thought of what Eric Bischoff was in for tonight, Stephanie pushed aside all thoughts of a certain Chris Jericho. Tonight was not about him, it was about revenge.

Of course, it didn't help that he and his fiancée seemed to be popping up in her head every time she stopped thinking about something for a minute. _'Argh!' _Stephanie stomped her feet as she walked to the cafeteria. _'This is so frustrating. We slept together! Does that mean **anything** to him?'_ her eyes narrowed, remembering his words. _'Yeah, apparently not.' _She gritted her teeth, wiping her eyes as water stung at them. _'God, they need to dust around here, all that crap in the air,' _she thought lamely. _'I can't believe... Ugh! Why can't I just stop thinking about him? He's not worth it. First he saves me from Three Minute Warning, and says it was for old time's sake, and then two minutes later he's claiming that the past means nothing to him. Make up your mind, Chris Jericho!' _she thought vigorously. _'You're a gutless prick.'_

'_Oh, then why are you thinking about him all the time?' _her thoughts counteracted, Stephanie growing more frustrated by the minute. She did not need this!

'_Maybe I find gutless pricks attractive,' _she countered, _'after all; I married Hunter, didn't I?'_ Sighing, she grabbed a container of salad and sat down near a table at the back, alone with her rebelling thoughts. So absorbed was she in stabbing the blades of lettuce with her fork, she didn't notice someone sit down until they spoke.

"Uh, hey Stephanie," the tentative male voice reached her ears.

Stephanie snapped her head back, and just barely caught her gasp in time before it was audible. _'Chris Jericho! What the hell is he doing here? Haven't you chewed me out enough?'_ "Hi, Jericho," she replied stiffly. One part of her wanted to sucker-punch him, slug one off at that pretty cheekbone of his, another part wanted to curl in a ball and cry, and another part wanted to leap across the table and kiss him, fiancé or not. She wasn't sure what part was winning when Chris spoke again.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Well," he drew the word out, "How are you?"

"Peachy."

"God, you aren't making this any easier!" he exclaimed.

Stephanie looked up, narrowing her eyes. "Excuse you?"

"Look, I want to be friends with you," Chris explained.

"God," she rolled her eyes, "Chris, _why _are you even trying? You got your point across last week. I don't need a pity wagon."

"The reason I'm here has nothing to do with last week!"

"Oh, really?" she sighed. "Whatever, Chris, just whatever."

"You're so difficult! I just want to be friends, like we used to be!"

Stephanie gritted her teeth. The bitchy McMahon was so definitely winning, and the crying was in close second. "We were never friends, remember? It was just about the sex to you!" she didn't care who heard. Let the whole world hear! She and Chris Jericho had had sex!

"Steph!" he cried as she stood up, walking off at a brisk speed. He groaned, and stood, chasing after her. In response, she quickened her speed. They kept it up for a while until they were flat out running. Chris sped up enough to grab her wrists, pushing her back against a wall so she couldn't escape. Stephanie struggled for a minute, and then settled for glaring daggers at him. "What is your problem?" she lunged to go, but his grip was still strong. "I just want to be friends, Stephanie, is that too hard?"

"G—" she sighed and stopped struggling, and looked him straight in the eyes. "Okay, Jericho, I'm saying this once. What you said last week, I guess it was right. I was looking to start our relationship over again. Even though—hey, let me talk," she said as he opened his mouth, "Even though I was out to get Hunter, and you were out for the sex, I started to feel like there was _something _actually between us, and maybe I was the only one that thought that, but I did. So yeah, I came back to start a relationship, I found out you were engaged to the blond bitch of a century, and I'm going to go as soon as this shit with Bischoff is cleared."

"I loved you," the words fell from Chris's lips before he could think. Stephanie, surprised, looked up at him, suddenly feeling very small.

"I loved you too," she whispered, transfixed by his eyes. Everything seemed to be in a haze, and his mouth was coming closer, and closer, and closer...

She turned her head to the side, her entire body trembling. Stephanie jerked away from him, stumbling backward. She would not become his toy to use whenever he wanted to, not again. Jericho stared at her, looking shocked as if he just realized what he'd been about to do. "Go back to the whore you chose over me," Stephanie whispered hoarsely.

"I didn't have a choice of you," Chris said, suddenly spurred by her words, "You know why? Because you betrayed me."

"What?!"

"Oh, don't tell me, little Stephy forgot. Let me refresh your memory. Chris Jericho and Stephanie McMahon versus Triple H for the Undisputed Championship. We were a team...until you decided you wanted a piece of the gold, so you covered H for the title."

Stephanie's face fell. "I knew how much that title meant to you, Chris. You were down, he was down. It wasn't as if I was going to keep the title. You know what I intended to do if HHH had stayed down? I would've given you the first match, and laid down for you. But you never knew that, did you? And I know why you didn't. Because after the match, you assumed everything. You didn't call me and you didn't return my calls."

"How was I supposed to know?"

"You were supposed to trust me!" Stephanie screamed back, and then stopped abruptly as Trish Stratus walked up to Chris, her hand curling around his naked chest possessively. 

"Chrissy-poo, what's going on?"

"Nothing, I'm just trying to help Jericho get his head out of his ass so he can actually see reason, which I've recently found to be _impossible_," Stephanie turned around. No way was she going to stay there and watch Trish with her hands all over Chris, calling him ridiculous nicknames like Chrissy and Chrissy-poo. Honestly! Chrissy-_poo_. You'd think that would be an insult! Fuming, Stephanie made her way through the hallways.

Trish Stratus watched Stephanie rush away, and smiled. They were already at each other's throats, and she'd done nothing. This would be so much easier than she had expected...


	7. Chapter 7

**Halo Over the Devil's Head**

**Chapter 7**

_Crack. Crack._

Stephanie McMahon methodically cracked her knuckles as she thought, waiting for Eric Bischoff to appear on the monitor in the back, most likely to rant about how great he was, and how he had 'humiliated' her and how easily she'd fallen for his trap. She desperately she wanted to go out there, and knee him in the balls, company etiquette or not. "This sucks," she stated to the empty dressing room she was in. It was the women's locker room, but none of the Divas really hung out there once they arrived, which left it all to Stephanie, and she wasn't really complaining about it. _'So, yeah, I finally admitted that I love Chris Jericho,' _she said to herself, _'and great. Just flippin' great. Where has **that **gotten me?' _she sardonically asked. Stephanie sighed heavily and plodded through her thoughts in the silence that surrounded her.

"And here I thought Stephanie McMahon never gave up," the voice behind her sent Stephanie flying to her feet. She whirled around, clutching her heart as she did so.

"Victoria?" Stephanie whispered, surprised. She'd never worked with the other woman, but she knew that the other Diva was a great wrestler, and she came off as a nice person in general. Still, having known the business for far too long, Stephanie withheld her final opinion.

Victoria nodded slightly, looking at Stephanie with a mixture of respect and determination. She sat down on one of the benches across from the former GM. Stephanie was wearing a silky purple and pink floral shirt and a black mini-skirt, a far cry from the business suits it seemed were always on her a few months ago. Victoria smirked a little, knowing that some things about her _hadn't _changed, and the most obvious one had everything to do with Chris Jericho. "Hi, Stephanie."

"Hi," Stephanie said, slightly confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Um, Stephanie, it's the women's locker room."

"Oh... Oh, yeah," she responded, smiling sheepishly.

Victoria smiled, "But I did come to talk to you," she told the brunette. At Stephanie's curious look, she went on. "About Chris Jericho."

Stephanie sighed. "Why do you want to talk about him?"

"Because it's obvious that you still love him," Victoria replied bluntly. Stephanie's eyes widened in surprise. She had been expected a range of other things: 'Chris isn't the right guy for you', 'Trish is getting married to him', heck, Stephanie had even been prepared for an 'I have a crush on him' comment.

"Where did you get that idea?" Stephanie asked idly.

"Oh, come on. I saw you two in the hallway the other week, and its really obvious, or at least to me."

"Well, I guess your love radars are off, because I'm not going after Chris Jericho," she replied abruptly, and turned.

"And yet you don't deny that you like him." Stephanie froze in her spot, knowing and hating that she had hit the bulls-eye. Victoria let the silence hang for a moment. "You know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think you're giving up. I think you're _quitting_," she stated.

Stephanie turned slowly. No way was _anyone _going to go around calling her a quitter, good intentions or not! "What do you mean?" she said.

"I think," Victoria tossed her chin up in the air. "That you're quitting your pursuit of Chris Jericho because of Trish Stratus."

Stephanie sighed once more. She was tired of arguing with people; herself, Victoria... "So what if I am?" she replied. "They're engaged, for Christ's sake!" It surprised her to no end to see Victoria smile in return as she grabbed her duffel bag and headed for the door.

"And since when has Stephanie McMahon let a petty thing like that get in her way?" Victoria asked, glancing back at her. Before she could answer, however, Victoria had slipped through the door. Stephanie stared numbly at the door before Victoria's words began to sink in.

'_She has a point... When have I **ever **let something like this get in my way? I've always gotten what I want, one way or another. So why should I let Chris's engagement to Trish affect me? I meant what I said about her...she's a whore, a slut, a bitch, and she isn't good enough for him!' _Stephanie frowned slightly. _'I love Chris Jericho... And I'm going to get him. Trish Stratus is **not **going to keep my man.'_

A smile suddenly appeared on Stephanie's face, and the wheels began to turn in her mind. Oh, yes... Maybe she couldn't force Chris Jericho back in love with her, but one thing was certain: if she couldn't have him, Trish Stratus definitely couldn't.

Stephanie would see to that tonight.

And boy, was Chris Jericho in for a surprise.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I tried to make this chapter a little longer, but it didn't quite work out that way, lol. I'm going to try and make the other ones longer as I go... Sorry again! But thanks to


	8. Chapter 8

**Halo Over The Devil's Head**

**Chapter 8**

Just as Stephanie had suspected, Eric Bischoff appeared soon enough in the ring, microphone in hand. He grinned triumphantly as he waited for the crowd to die down, ignoring their raucous boos. "Stephanie McMahon," he spoke, only to be drowned out by the fans. A moment later he started again. "Last week, Stephanie McMahon finally got her dues." Eric stepped backward, smiling at the audience's reaction to his words. "Stephanie McMahon never deserved to be a General Manager of the WWE. Just because you share the same name as the chairman doesn't mean you have the brains to run the job like I do," he straightened his leather jacket before continuing. "Last week, I showed Stephanie her lack of intelligence. Last week, I _humiliated _her in this very ring," he pointed a crooked finger downward, and then looked around at the audience, who had started a chant of 'Stephanie'. "Do you guys _want _Stephanie here?" Bischoff asked, receiving a cheer in reply. "Well too bad," he snarled, "Stephanie McMahon is _not _a part of the WWE, and never will—"

Stephanie's music throbbing from the speakers cut him off in mind-sentence. Eyes bulging, Eric turned toward the ramp, to see Stephanie walking down it. Her step was confident and cocky, just like her father's. "Eric, Eric, Eric," she murmured into the microphone, slowly climbing the stairs into the ring and crouching through the ropes to enter.

"Security," Eric shouted into the microphone, a smirk on his face.

Stephanie held up a finger. "I'd wait on that if I were you, Eric," she said with a falsely polite smile. There was a moment of nothing but tension as he glared at her. Stephanie pretended to be oblivious to the cutting gaze, her eyes instead roaming over the cheering fans. "I'll give it to you," she said finally, stepping up to Bischoff. "You outsmarted me last week, and you humiliated me." Eric Bischoff nodded quickly, chuckling. A minute later, Stephanie smiled. His leer slowly faded. "But I'm also here to inform you of the impending lawsuit on your stack of files to read."

"W-What?" Eric snapped. Stephanie raised her eyebrows, smiling. "I can't believe you would stoop this low," he fumed, "you can't beat me at anything, much less being a general manager, so you throw a lawsuit in my face!"

"I'll refresh you on the status of this lawsuit. I'm charging for slander and employee abuse. You know, a fine can reach up to eight hundred _thousand _dollars for that...and its money out of your pocket, not the WWE."

Bischoff grinned. "Sorry, Stephanie, but maybe you should've read the fine print. Employee abuse would only work if you were my _employee_," he pointed out truthfully.

Stephanie smiled. "I guess you didn't get the memo then."

"What memo?" Bischoff asked, trying to mask the panic in his voice.

Stephanie took a step toward him, a large smile on her face. "I'm Chris Jericho's new manager."

"Oh my god! J.R.! Stephanie is back! Puppies!" the King commented joyfully from his announcer seat.

"Calm down, King... I never imagined that Stephanie would come back after the disgrace she endured at the hands of her father...or that he would let her!" J.R. responded.

Hearing their comments from the ring, Stephanie couldn't help but smile. Bischoff gaped at her, his jaw hanging open. "W-Wha..." he tried to form words, but was relatively hopeless with it.

"Truth to be told, Bischoff, I've been dying to do this..." Stephanie trailed off, walking up to Bischoff until they were nearly nose-to-nose. He stared at her in pure confusion. The brunette grinned widely, keeping eye contact with him.

And in one swift movement, she kneed him in the groin. Eric fell to the ground with a yell. Stephanie's grin intensified, and she stepped away. With a fluid motion, she turned away.

She was meant with a sharp, nearly decapitating kick to the head by Rico. A cry escaped her lips as she snapped to the mat, her hands immediately reaching up to cradle her jaw. Pain spilt through her head. Instincts kicking in, she weakly tried to crawl backwards into a corner, but Rico was too fast. He grabbed her by her hair, pulling her to her knees. Just as he did so, he stumbled forward and fell, nearly on top of Stephanie. Stephanie pushed herself to the corner, despite the dizzying, splitting headache that had manifested itself in her.

Chris threw Rico to the ropes, and gave him a hard clothesline upon his return. Rico fell backward, landing nearly on his neck. The Canadian native grinned. His eyes snapped to the ring apron as Jamal appeared, eyes narrowed. Knowing that Rosie was most likely not far behind, Chris backed away, slipping out of the side of the ring closet to the ramp. With gentle hands he pulled Stephanie outside. As Jamal entered the ring, Chris backed up the ramp, Stephanie in his arms, her arm slung around his neck. Jamal alternated between sending the two glares and checking on Rico and Eric Bischoff.

Stephanie let her head rest on Chris's shoulder against his warm flesh. Chris looked down at her with an eye. She looked back at him innocently, and he smiled. Stephanie instinctively cuddled toward his body as he turned around, walking up the ramp to the back. "You better have a good explanation for this," Chris told her.

Stephanie grinned widely.

Did she ever.


	9. Chapter 9

**Halo Over The Devil's Head**

**Chapter 9**

Chris Jericho set Stephanie down gently on a storage case a few feet away from the curtains that led to the ring. Stephanie looked up at him with doe eyes as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to sort through the words running through his head only to find that tactic useless. "Mind telling me what's going on, Stephanie?" he asked, tilting his head inquisitively.

Stephanie smiled. "Well, you see... I have this friend on RAW, we've been friends for a while now. Just a few seconds ago—would you believe that?—I was out in the middle of the ring telling the General Manager about some lawsuit I supposedly filed against him. And lo and behold, some words just might've slipped my mouth... I get a little zealous when I'm angry, you know."

He rolled his eyes. "Steph..." he said in something that she had used to mockingly refer to as his 'mom voice'.

"Okay, okay. So I knew I was saying it, and I kind of planned on it," she sighed and looked him in the eye. "The truth is, I was expecting an apology or something last week, and when he attacked me..." she sighed. "Chris, you know me, I can't take this lying down. Only as an employee of the show am I allowed to kick his ass, and it would take _months _for mother to get through all of the paperwork to legally get me here."

"Legally?"

"Bad choice of words. Authentically, I meant."

Chris rubbed his temples with his fingers, appearing to be deep in thought for the moment. "So what you're saying is... I could've kicked Bischoff's ass anytime I wanted to?"

Stephanie smiled. He was definitely still the Chris she remembered. "Yup... Only you would've gotten stuck in crappy matches for a year."

"So what was that stuff about 'employee abuse'?"

"Bitch-off's contract, and everyone's on the roster, doesn't allow for that. Basically says we can beat him up, he can beat us up."

"Damn. I could've cashed in on that," Chris muttered.

"No kidding."

"But... We can still beat him up?"

"And he can beat you up."

Chris snorted. "He couldn't kill a spider."

"I never suggested that he had the skill, Jericho," Stephanie reminded him.

"All right, so back to the previous discussion."

"What discussion?" Stephanie asked innocently, and he rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine."

"So what's going on?" he asked, and threw his arms up. "I have no idea what just happened out there."

Stephanie nibbled on the inside of her cheek. "Well, I was hoping that you would agree to let me manage you."

Chris looked at her, lost in thought for a moment. He knew that Trish wouldn't be happy if he agreed to this. He didn't know why, but he got the vibe that Trish didn't like Stephanie at all, which he considered really strange. Girl stuff, he filed it off as. On the other hand, Stephanie did look undeniably cute when she was uncertain and—

'_I did not just think that.'_

"Why do I put up with you?" Chris muttered aloud. Stephanie tilted her head once more.

"Is that a yes?" she asked, her voice ringing slightly with hope.

Chris found it hard to think negatively. _'She just needs a place to stay while she gets revenge on Bischoff, it's not like its permanent,' _he reassured himself, _'and, I mean, it's just a favor for an old friend. Trish would have no reason to be mad at me because I'm lending a friend a hand.'_

"It's a yes," he said finally. Stephanie squealed and went to leap up, only to be deterred by a sharp pain to the skull. She winced, and got up slowly, silently enjoying the concern visible on Chris's face.

"You okay?" he asked immediately.

"I'll be fine." Stephanie reached forward, and hugged him tightly, setting her chin on his shoulder, hyper-aware of his warm hands on her lower back. The familiar smell of his cologne wafted through her nostrils, and she closed her eyes in the comfort of the moment. For just that moment, they were back in a time where Trish Stratus was out of both their lives, where their biggest worry was how to get Chris a title shot, and where their biggest pleasure was each other.

"Chris?" Trish's voice cut through the air, and Stephanie rolled her eyes before pulling away from Chris as the blonde woman approached. "I was looking all over for you!" she announced. _'Gee, I'm so sorry. You must've looked **everywhere **because you made it here within three minutes of our arrival,' _Stephanie thought, rolling her eyes again.

"Oh my gosh, Stephanie, are you all right?" Trish asked, as if seeing the other woman for the first time.

"I'm fine, thanks for your concern," Stephanie replied sarcastically. Chris's eyes darted to hers, and Stephanie knew he sensed the sarcasm in her speech. The brunette followed Trish's gaze discreetly and realized that she and Chris were still holding hands. With a smile, Stephanie squeezed his hand gently. "I can't thank you enough, Chris, you have no idea how much this means to me. I'll call you later tonight, okay?" she prompted, and Chris nodded numbly. Stephanie walked between Chris and Trish, unable to keep the triumphant grin off of her face. So what if Chris was just going to tell Trish what was going on in a minute? For the immediate time, Stephanie felt victorious.

She was Chris Jericho's new manager...

...and Trish Stratus's newest nightmare.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you guys liked it, sorry it was a little on the lacking side.  Thanks to Ani, darkprincesspoet, DCFanatic4life, huntersgirl, Y2J Chris Jericho, Judy Greenleaf, StephanieIrvine04, Professional scatterbrain and lucyzigg for the reviews!  Please keep them coming!


	10. Chapter 10

**Halo Over The Devil's Head**

**Chapter 10**

Chris Jericho ran a hand through his hair as he walked through the hallways of the arena. It had been nearly a week since Stephanie had announced herself as his manager and he was already feeling the effects of it. He shook his head, instantly recalling all of the fans who had asked him if he and Stephanie were together—even though he was positive that most of the internet had already heard that he and Trish were engaged. What was it with that, anyway? Could you not have a manager without being involved with her? Surely there had been several strictly business relationships…right? _'Nope,' _he thought to himself, sighing. He couldn't think of one that didn't have 'romance' written all over it. Well, there was Trish, Albert and Test…but that was just creepy.

"Hey Chris!"

Chris turned to see Stephanie approaching him, smiling. He looked her up and down quickly, still wearing off the shock of her dramatic change of style. Not that he was complaining. _'I'm engaged; not dead,' _he reasoned to himself. "Hi Steph," he greeted.

She fell into step beside him. They hadn't talked since the last RAW show. "So how's your week been?"

"Great," Chris bit the inside of his cheek as he spit out the lie. "You?" The truth was, what with all these people asking if he was involved with Stephanie, he'd become increasingly frustrated. Not to mention the 'talk' that he'd had with Trish. Yeah, she'd _said _that she wasn't bothered by it at all…but the way she said it made it sound like poison. He sighed. The last thing he needed was Trish doubting him.

Stephanie shrugged. "Can't complain," she answered. They were silent for a few moments before she spoke again. "So what's up on the schedule for today?"

"You're supposed to be my manager," he replied, looking over at her with raised eyebrows.

Stephanie leveled him with a blank stare. "And I was informed you'd been mindlessly wandering around the building for the past two hours."

"It was not two hours," Chris said defensively, looking down at his watch. Whoa…so maybe it had.

Smiling, Stephanie rephrased her question, "Do you have a match?"

Chris pulled a crumpled schedule out of his pocket. He had already memorized it, but he didn't want Stephanie to know he had been that bored. "Me and a partner of my choosing versus Rosey and Jamal."

"Have anyone in mind?" Stephanie asked.

Chris sighed. "No, not really."

"Any friends?" Stephanie continued.

Chris looked insulted. "Of course I have friends!" he exclaimed. Stephanie stopped, putting her hands on her hips. "Okay, fine. No, I don't know anyone who would be willing to."

Stephanie smiled. "I know the perfect person." Chris raised his eyebrows, willing her to continue, but she didn't. She shook her head with a smile. "You'll see," she said mysteriously. He rolled his eyes.

"Watch out for Rico while you're out there," Chris said, feeling compelled to make sure she was safe out there.

"I can take him," Stephanie said with confidence. She began to walk again but stopped when she realized that Chris wasn't with her. "What?"

"Steph… Look, you're good at a lot of stuff…but wrestling isn't your forte."

Her eyes darkened, and Chris closed his eyes, immediately knowing that he had gone the wrong way about this. "Excuse me?" she said, her tone energized. "What did you just say?" He was silent. "I can wrestle just fine, thank you."

Chris sighed. "Maybe… Maybe Trish should just come out with me." The minute he suggested it was the minute he knew he crossed the line. Still, Chris couldn't get Trish's words out of his head: _"If you need a manager, why didn't you tell **me**? I don't have anything against Stephanie, Chris, but we're engaged. People are going to talk if Stephanie's your manager and I'm not. And, in all seriousness, Chris… She's not a wrestler, she's a brain, a suit. That doesn't do you any good when you're out in the ring."_

"Oh," Stephanie whispered, the energy inside of her dissolving. "Oh…" she repeated. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling vulnerable and stupid. "Okay then," she swallowed tightly.

"Look, Steph… It's just that Trish, she's a wrestler. She can handle this."

Stephanie glared at him. "And what?" she shouted, all of her anger snapping inside of her. "I can't?! I can handle myself more than that bitch can!" the words slipped her mouth, and the two stood in an awkward silence, anger splitting through the air.

"What?" Chris said, his voice low.

"I'm sorry Chris, but it's true," Stephanie said. She wouldn't go back on her word now. "She almost split up my family. She was fucking my father," Chris looked away, "and helping him drug my mother and throwing it in my face," Stephanie caught his eye, "Yeah, she might have changed, but no one ever completely turns into something else."

"Then I guess you're still a dirty trash-bag ho," Chris replied heatedly and Stephanie froze, her mouth open. "And judging by what I just heard, you're still a thoughtless bitch."

"And you're still the arrogant jackass!" Stephanie screamed, poking him in the chest. Both she and Chris were far past their limits of anger.

"And you still try and open your legs to get into this company!" Chris retorted.

Stephanie leaned backwards, freezing. She knew he was referring to how she'd approached him…and it hurt. She could feel the knife twisting in her heart and tears filled her eyes. Why was she fighting to have the love of this man? Stephanie felt her chin begin to tremble. "Is that… Is that what you think, then?" she said, trying her hardest to keep her voice steady.

"Steph, no," Chris said, reaching out to her. She stepped out of his reach. He looked at her, feeling immensely guilty. She looked like she was about to cry. Stephanie McMahon _never _cried. How deep had he cut her with those last words? How much had he hurt her?

Stephanie shook her head and walked backwards, her eyes still on his. "No…" she whispered, "I'm going. Trash-bag hoes should stay home, right?" she said, her voice monotone.

"I didn't mean it, Steph…"

"No," she repeated, her voice wavering. "You meant it or you wouldn't have said it. Go tell Trish and tell her that she's your new manager," she turned but then looked back. "And for the record, I'm taking nothing back," her eyes narrowed and a tear threatened to spill down her face. It was an image that Chris never would be able to erase from his mind; the defensive anger on her face, the hurt swelling her eyes and the single tear beginning to fall. And he…he had caused it all. "Trish is a bitch," she said vehemently, "And you…" her upper lip curled in spite, but it didn't reach her eyes. She looked hurt, not hateful, which hurt him even more. She didn't hate him, even after what he said. "…you're still the jackass," she said. Stephanie turned on her heel, walking out steadily. If Chris had been able to see her face, he would've seen the tears running down her face and marring her make-up.

Chris swore to himself and sat on a nearby folding chair, jerking his head against the wall. "How stupid could I be?" he hissed to himself and dropped his head in his hands. Christ… Stephanie was right.

He really was a jackass.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope you guys liked this! Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Keep reviewing and I'll keep updating! :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Halo Over The Devil's Head**

**Chapter 11**

"Chrissy, what's the matter?" Chris Jericho looked up from his seat on the folding chair up at a very attractive Trish Stratus. He stared at her concerned for several moments before he replied. Had Stephanie been looking at the same smile when she said that Trish was a bitch? Or maybe…was that emotion lurking in the back of Trish's eyes smugness? Chris leaned back in the chair. Why would Trish be smug about this? Obviously he was reading way too much into what Stephanie had said.

"I got in a fight with Stephanie," Chris said quietly.

Trish's face creased into a mask of concern. She knelt at his side, setting her cool fingers on his thigh and looking at him with open eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, letting the sap drip off of her voice like molasses, "but…maybe it was for the better."

Chris felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise, but he kept his temper down. All the same, he felt like bursting into…well…something. He didn't even know _what _he was feeling—doubt, anger, guilt… "What do you mean?" he questioned. It was better to concentrate on the task at hand instead of Stephanie's words. The truth was—fight or not—he knew Stephanie would always be there for him as a friend if not anything more.

"Well… Chris you have to admit that you two don't get along very well. You're always fighting and arguing… Maybe it's time for you to just…settle down," Trish said, her hand moving up to rub his bare arm. Chris looked at the hand and saw the engagement ring he had given her so long ago, telling her he wasn't ready yet, but soon he would be. And now was soon, right? _'Too soon,' _he thought grimly and immediately mentally smacked himself. He had one of the most beautiful women—on the inside _and _out—on his arm. What was he complaining about? A World Heavyweight Title match was in the works for him, he had Trish…

But…it all felt so…_boring_.

Chris gritted his teeth and argued with the fact. It wasn't boring—it was nice! He didn't need all of the drama Stephanie brought into his life. He especially didn't need it _now_—in the middle of his engagement. Even the first day she came back to RAW she had messed up his life enough with all of the stares he'd gotten when he helped her backstage. Of course, he _had _chosen to do so… _'Even without that she's screwed my **perfect **life up so much! Trish is suspicious about it—I can tell—I'm still getting stares in the back and if Bischoff has any say now he'll probably revoke my title match. Not to mention that I almost kissed—' '_he cut himself off in the middle of his thoughts. It didn't matter that they'd **almost **kissed because they hadn't. But the real question that bothered him was one that had been bouncing around in his head since that moment: How could being around Stephanie change him so much? One minute he was happy-go-lucky Chris Jericho with a perfect life and the next he was the sarcastic, cynical man who had forgotten about his perfect life and decided to go after Stephanie.

He didn't **need **Stephanie. But despite all of the facts—all of the drama and the fighting—he **wanted **her. Chris dropped his head in his hands and sighed, glancing at Trish out of the corner of his eye. What had happened? He had been _perfect _with his _perfect _life and his _perfect _career status and _perfect _status…

And then Stephanie McMahon had come along and screwed everything up once again. But this time…he was willing to share the blame.

* * *

Stephanie sighed to herself as she blazed a trail to the parking lot through the mess of people. _'You're making a mistake,' _a sing-song voice in her conscious chanted in rhythm to her heavy footsteps. She groaned, frustrated with herself. She felt like a jerk, saying those things to Chris, but on the other hand…he'd completely deserved it. How dare he say some of those things! Still…in her heart Stephanie knew that he didn't mean them. Nevertheless, they still hurt. Stephanie stopped and nibbled on her lower lip. Was it smart to just storm off like this? They'd argued about essentially nothing—it was only something when both sides understood each other's arguments, right? Stephanie sighed and turned around, heading back the way she had come.

* * *

"Just, well, maybe it's meant to be, Chris," Trish said consolingly to her fiancé. He sat up, eyeing her with a newfound fire in his eyes.

"No," he said, shaking his head, "It's not meant to be like this."

"Chris—" she stared once more, but he cut her off.

"We're best friends, Trish," he told her. "A stupid little fight like this shouldn't throw off our entire friendship."

Trish frowned, recoiling. "So my wants are just a stupid little matter to you?" she asked, hurt.

"Trish… You're my fiancée," he bit the inside of his cheek as he said the following words, no longer positive that they were as true as they'd been before, "and I love you. But Stephanie is my best friend. You two are going to have to learn how to coincide with each other. And right now I need to go apologize to Stephanie," he announced, standing up. Without a second glance back at Trish he headed in the direction Stephanie had stomped off to.

He definitely owed Stephanie an apology…he just hoped she'd forgive him.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I hope I didn't move to fast emotionally on Chris's part… I hope you like this chapter, sorry if it's not great, it's eleven at night and I haven't slept well at all this week. Thanks to AniLuLu, huntersgirl, Y2J Chris Jericho, Stephanie Irvine04, DCFanatic4Life and Latisha C for the reviews! They seriously were the highlights of the month so far. Please keep reviewing! 


	12. Chapter 12

**Halo Over The Devil's Head**

**Chapter 12**

"Stephanie!" Chris shouted the words as he saw the brunette making her way toward him. By the time he made his way over to her, her mouth was already opening to speak. "I'm sorry, Steph," he said quickly before she could say anything. Stephanie shut her mouth, her eyes looking at him and contemplating his words. "I shouldn't have said those things," he added as a sort of afterthought. "God knows you didn't deserve them."

"No," Stephanie whispered softly, shaking her head back and forth with a resigned air. "I deserved most of it," she nibbled on the inside of her cheek as she looked up at Chris. "Most of the time since I've been here my intent has been to break you and Trish up," she winced at her own words, "If that's not bitchy I don't know what is." There was a long pause between them. "Look, the facts… I love you. You love Trish and Trish," she paused, longing to say 'is using' in place of love. One woman could not change that much. She had seen it in Trish's eyes lately: that contempt and evil swirling within the bogus sham Trish was putting on for Chris. "Trish loves you," Stephanie finished, the words bitter on her lips. "It's obvious the way this will turn out. I should…I should just go." Actually, what with Victoria's words pounding through her mind with fury, she didn't plan on leaving at all.

"Don't go," Chris commanded earnestly, touching her forearm with his hand. "Please," he added, his blue eyes locked onto hers. "I…I'm not sure anymore," he whispered with defeat. Stephanie looked at the confusion in his eyes and her heart went out to him. His eyes traveled to the floor as he spoke. "I loved Trish but…lately…" he looked back up at her and she got the message. He had loved Trish…and then she came.

"I'm so confused," Stephanie replied, "What do you mean, Chris?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know," he breathed, "I'm confused too…" he sighed once more, realizing the depth of the predicament he now found himself in. "Just…stay here," he told her softly.

Stephanie nodded but before she could say anything a stagehand walked up to Chris and spoke. "Your match is up next!" he said briefly before scurrying away, clipboard in hand. The Canadian nodded in reply and moved to go, but stopped after he took a few steps he turned and looked at Stephanie.

"You coming?" he asked.

"What about Trish?" she questioned, perplexed.

Chris paused and looked at her. "You're here now."

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here, Trish?" the woman's gruff voice demanded of the Diva that stood in front of her. 

"I'm here to make a deal with you, Jazz," Trish said, her eyes boring into Jazz's. Tension thickened the air heavily as Jazz stood up, nose-to-nose with Trish.

"What is it?" Jazz asked, her tone betraying little interest in what the blonde woman had to say.

Trish ignored Jazz's pointed tone and continued speaking. "I want you to destroy Stephanie McMahon," she snarled, "I want that woman out of the WWE for good."

"And what do I get out of it?" Jazz asked, regarding Trish with dark eyes.

Trish smirked, hefting her Women's Championship up on her shoulder, enjoying the way that Jazz's eyes snapped to it. "We all know that Bischoff isn't going to put you in any big matches after you make your return this week. I'm offering you a title shot," Trish announced. "And when you lose," she giggled, "I mean, **if **you lose, sorry my bad! Well, Bischoff will realize that you actually have some talent and you're worth keeping on the show."

Jazz stared at Trish emotionlessly. "So if I annihilate Stephanie you'll give me a title shot," she stated, her eyes moving to the gold draped across Trish's shoulder.

Trish grinned. "Yes," she confirmed. Jazz shouldered past her, headed toward the door of the women's locker room. Just as she turned the knob, she turned and looked back at Trish.

"Consider it done."

* * *

Trish smirked to herself as she walked down the hallways. She was well aware that Chris had gone to his match with Stephanie. Scowling, the blonde hoped that Rico attacked her. It'd serve the bitch right! Who did Stephanie think she was, trying to steal her fiancé? Next time, Stephanie would definitely think twice. Of course…there would never be a next time. Trish grinned. Sure, Chris wasn't exactly wrapped around her little pinky anymore, but she was confident that soon enough it would return to normal. Jazz would take Stephanie out, Trish would console Chris and then they would get married. 

Still, there was something missing… Trish smiled as she opened her cell phone; scrolling through her address book before she came to the person she was looking for. She raised the phone to her ear and hit send. "Hello," she greeted, and listened for a brief moment to the voice on the other line. "Triple H? Yeah, it's Trish. I need a favor…"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! I hope you guys liked this chapter. Er...yeah not much to say. I've survived midterms so far; I have yet to take my Geometry and English midterms. Please review!

**Reviewers:  
**_Y2J Chris Jericho (Ty, ty! Yeah Trash is just so...well...trashy!)  
Latisha C (:) Aw thank you! Lol I'm late but sweet dreams!)  
StephanieIrvine04 (Oh my gosh... After I read your review I had tears in my eyes, seriously. :) Thank you so much!)  
huntersgirl(Hm...Happy ending...happy ending...should I do a happy ending? Lol I'm just kidding. :) You'll see!)  
DCFanatic4Life (:) Teehee. I'd pay to watch Chris do that! (Well I'd pay to just watch Chris at all lol...but that's beside the point...) Thank you and I hope you enjoyed!)_


	13. Chapter 13

**Halo Over The Devil's Head**

**Chapter 13**

Stephanie McMahon slammed her palm down on the mat as she looked on the match. After a few near pins on both sides, the match was back in motion. The brunette looked over at the Hurricane. He had readily agreed to be Chris's partner after Rosey betrayed him. Nearly five minutes ago Jamal had thrown him near the turnbuckle and his body landed on the turnbuckle, his head crashing painfully against the ring post. Stephanie couldn't help but be concerned. A glazed look hovered over his eyes and she knew all too well that it was a sign of a concussion. Stephanie turned her eyes back to the middle of the ring, her chest tightening.

Rosey was currently in the ring applying a submission hold on Chris, depleting his supply of air. Stephanie resumed her pounding on the mat. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rico rounding the corner and approaching her. She whirled around, facing him with narrowed eyes. Gone was the flamboyant clothing—but the skill was still there. Stephanie stepped back, suddenly wishing she was wearing sneakers instead of high heels. The crowd began to cheer and Stephanie knew Chris had gotten to his feet.

Stephanie turned her head and glanced at the ring in time to see Chris deliver a backbreaker to Rosey. Taking the opportune moment, Rico rushed at Stephanie, clotheslining her. Stephanie felt the blow on her shoulders and neck and felt her body crumble beneath her. She rolled to her side, weakly clutching her throat. In the ring, Chris Jericho saw Rico attack Stephanie and run. He took one look at the fallen Rosey and slid out of the ring, crouching beside Stephanie.

"Steph? Steph, you okay?" he asked urgently. Stephanie looked at him, nodding the best she could. _'Go back into the ring!' _she wanted to howl the words but her throat squeezed shut.

Rosey slid out of the ring and grabbed Chris by his shoulders and spun him around, taking Chris by surprise. Stephanie used her legs to push herself farther away from the battle. Rosey grasped Chris's arms and shoved him into the stairs mercilessly. After watching Chris hissing in pain for a moment, his eyes turned to Stephanie. Stephanie shrunk back, her eyes darting to the ring to alert the Hurricane to this predicament, but found him dealing with his own problems in the form of Jamal.

Stephanie grabbed the skirt of the ring apron and tried to pull herself away from Rosey, but he was near her in seconds. She swallowed tightly as his hand shot out toward her. Rosey seized a handful of her hair and yanked upward, trying to pull her to her feet.

That was when she did it. Stephanie opened her mouth and shrieked like the cry of an animal feeling the teeth of a trap enclose around it. Rosey let go of her hair and nearly jumped back. Stephanie curled into a ball, her face pale. Tears rolled down her face quickly as she clutched at her neck. Her cries had attracted the referee, who was currently screaming at Rosey to leave her alone. "You…you…okay?" Rosey asked uncertainly as the referee turned back to the brawl between Jamal and Hurricane. Stephanie stared at him with bloodshot eyes as she rolled onto her back.

With precise aiming, she slammed her heel forward, straight into Rosey's groin. Stephanie rolled to her feet, wiping away the faux tears on her face. She slammed her fist into the doubled-over Rosey, watching with pride as he fell to the ground holding his forehead. Stephanie grinned at the crowd's cheers and discreetly removed the brass knucks from her hand. Across from her, Chris caught her eye and smiled, pushing himself to his feet. Stephanie smiled as Chris shoved Rosey into the ring and capitalized on his current weakness.

For all their fighting, she and Jericho really did make a good team.

* * *

Jazz smirked to herself as she walked down the hallways of the arena, oblivious to the match going on. Her thoughts remained on the deal she had made Trish. A smirk wrapped around Jazz's face. _'Does Trish really think I'm on her side?' _she asked herself, chuckling, _'If she does, she's more stupid than I thought she was. I want that title shot and I'm going to get it…but not on her terms.' _Jazz shouldered her bag she was carrying. _'I'm going to get Trish to sign the papers for the title shot and as soon as all the Ts are crossed and the Is are dotted then I'm going to go back on my deal. If Trish cannot compete…I get the title. Once the contract is signed…I'll take both Stephanie and Trish out the easiest way possible.' _

_'I'll obliterate Chris Jericho.' _

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Sorry it's taken a while to update. Please review!

**Reviewers:  
**_AniLuLu (Lol, you probably don't but you'll end up finding out!)  
DCFanatic4life (Aw, thank you! I'm glad to hear I'm doing something well over here :) . Thanks for the good luck on midterms! I survived (amazingly) and with A's too!)  
Latisha C (Hey, it's fun!_ _Thankyou for reviewing!)  
kandiland (Lol yes it is!)  
YJ Chris Jericho (**Lol **niiiice. But I agree!)  
Judy Greenleaf (Thanks so much:) I'm glad to hear it!)_

**Side Note: **Has anyone else's penname randomly changed? All of a sudden mine is LittleKnux instead of LittleKnux2008. Not that it's that much of a difference, I'm just curious. When I go back to change it it says "settings saved" but my penname is still the same. What's up with that?


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